History ArchEnemy / TheDCU

* ComicBook/WonderWoman's is generally Cheetah or Circe, depending on who's writing. Ares gets in on the act too. He was, after all, her original [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] arch enemy, and is the biggest bad in her rogues gallery. As of Flashpoint Hera may be stepping into the role, though this ultimately did not stick and Diana's arch foe remains a competition between Cheetah, Circe, and Ares.

* ComicBook/{{Superman}} has ComicBook/LexLuthor, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, [[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zod], and [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]]. The Ultra-Humanite was Superman's first Arch Enemy, though he has since been surpassed by the aforementioned foes.
** Lex Luthor is Superman's ultimate Arch Enemy and typically uses his brain against the Man of Steel's brawn, carefully avoiding any actions that could make Superman be justified in attacking him. To the point where only the muckraking [[SecretIdentityIdentity Clark Kent]], not Superman, can even put a scratch on Luthor. In ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', Alexander Luthor Jr. (son of a heroic alternate universe Luthor) eventually becomes convinced that one of the few things every universe has in common is that the resident Luthor and Superman (or Superman analogue) will always be archenemies.

* Comicbook/AdamStrange, the defender of Rann, has Kanjar Ro, who seeks to conquer Rann, and who released radiation which prevented Strange from remaining on Rann.

* Comicbook/AmbushBug has Argh! Yle! the living sock. Yes, his archenemy is a sock.
* Comicbook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld has Mordru, who killed her ally Donal, and Dark Opal, who killed her parents.
* Comicbook/AnimalMan had Lennox, the man who murdered his family. In the New 52 reboot, Animal Man had the Spider Queen.
* ''Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}'':

* Comicbook/{{Azrael}}: Jean-Paul Valley had two; Carleton Lehah and Nicholas Scratch. Averted for Michael Lane, who hasn't been active nearly long enough in order to get a real archenemy, though the Crusader came real close.
* Comicbook/{{Aztek}} had the Lizard King, who murdered his girlfriend, and Mageddon, the evil god he is destined to defeat.

** [[Comicbook/StarsAndSTRIPE Stargirl]]'s arch foe from is Shiv from Blue Valley. Shiv was a {{Foil}} to Courtney in that, while Courtney was the stepdaughter of an established superhero (Pat Dugan, a.k.a. S.T.R.I.P.E.) and initially became a hero to piss him off, Shiv is the biological daughter of an established supervillain (the Dragon King) and became a villain to make her father proud. However, Shiv fell into limbo for a few years after her last fight with Courtney. The next time they fought Courtney joked about how long it'd been since she saw Shiv.

* While ''Comicbook/GreenLantern'' ''Rebirth'' and ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' initially pegged Parallax as the Arch Enemy of ComicBook/TheSpectre, it seems that the Spectre's ''true'' nemesis is actually Butcher the Rage Entity. The Spectre exists to punish murderers, and Butcher is apparently the homicidal spawn of the first murder -- the embodiment of murderous rage. Spectre also has Eclipso, his predecessor as the personification of God's Wrath who turned evil, Azmodus, a demon who seduced the Spectre's first human host, and Zor, another spirit wandering the Earth, who chose to spread evil instead of fight it.

* In the [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Robin comics of the 90's]], King Snake (the father of Bane) and then Ulysses "The General" Armstrong filled this role for Tim Drake. As Comicbook/RedRobin, Drake had The General again for a while (this time masquerading as Anarky).
* The Iron Major to Comicbook/SgtRock's.

*** In the ElseWorlds series ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', the Ultra-Humanite surpasses Lex as Superman's greatest enemy, being almost single-handedly responsible for the deaths of Superman's new family, which included his two children and his wife, Lois Lane. He also killed Jimmy Olsen, his family, and Perry White Jr., just to spite Superman.

* ''[[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy-Prime]]'' possibly sees the fourth [[ComicBook/TheFlash Flash]] (Bart Allen), the second [[Comicbook/GreenLantern Ion]] (Sodam Yat) and Kon-El, the cloned Superboy (the one of the three he killed) as his archenemies. Prime's new enemies, the WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes might think so, too, [[spoiler:bringing back ''all three'' heroes (two BackFromTheDead, in fact) to combat Prime.]]

** [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] is Batman's Arch-Enemy. He's the One, he's the best. His insanity and chaotic nature are the complete opposite of Batman's rigidly, even obsessively ordered intelligence. Though these (intelligence and obsession) are also their similarities. Both were shaped by great tragedy and loss (at least in the Joker's most commonly accepted origin story). Many people have said that Batman is just as insane as The Joker, he just manifests it in a [[CrazySane different]] and more positive way and keeps control over it. The Joker himself has pointed this out numerous times and in many adaptations.

* [[BigBad Imperiex]] and ComicBook/{{Superman}} clone Kell-El in the ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' cartoon.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'': [[Characters/BatmanArkhamSeriesTheJoker The Joker]] is this to the [[Characters/BatmanArkhamSeriesBatman Batman]], in terms of the sheer hell and personal cruelty he unleashes on him and his allies. He crippled Barbara and shot Talia and tortured Jason Todd for a year and sent Batman a video where Joker shoots Jason in the face. He's Batman's real litmus test for ThouShaltNotKill; if Batman won't kill him after all the stuff he's done, he won't kill anyone.

* ComicBook/{{Superman}} has ComicBook/LexLuthor, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, [[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zof]], and [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]]. The Ultra-Humanite was Superman's first Arch Enemy, though he has since been surpassed by the aforementioned foes.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman's is generally Cheetah or Circe, depending on who's writing. Ares gets in on the act too. He was, after all, her original [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] arch enemy, and is the biggest bad in her rogues gallery. As of Flashpoint Hera may be stepping into the role.

** ComicBook/TheJoker is Batman's Arch-Enemy. He's the One, he's the best. His insanity and chaotic nature are the complete opposite of Batman's rigidly, even obsessively ordered intelligence. Though these (intelligence and obsession) are also their similarities. Both were shaped by great tragedy and loss (at least in the Joker's most commonly accepted origin story). Many people have said that Batman is just as insane as The Joker, he just manifests it in a [[CrazySane different]] and more positive way and keeps control over it. The Joker himself has pointed this out numerous times and in many adaptations.

*** ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' plays this for laughs: the Joker calls himself Batman's ArchEnemy, the Dark Knight disagrees, and Joker [[EvilIsPetty spends the rest of the movie trying to prove Batman wrong]]. Batman ultimately is forced to admit Joker's status so both can save Gotham.

** [[ComicBook/RasAlGhul Rā's al Ghūl]] has a great deal of respect for Batman, may be even more dangerous, and a far larger scale threat, than the Joker, and is the father of one of Bruce's main love interests and his son's grandfather. Ra's is definitely the main BigBad of Batman's enemies.
** ComicBook/TwoFace: Batman sees him, with good cause, as [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] as [[EvilFormerFriend they were friends once]] before Harvey's disfigurement, a point that Two-Face enjoys rubbing in. Every single one of the Robins has also had a reason to put them high on their hit lists, as he beat [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] within an inch of his life on one of his first outings as Robin (handing him his first defeat in the process), orchestrated the murders of Jason Todd's parents, and in "A Lonely Place of Dying" nearly killed [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] in one of his earliest solo missions as Robin, with Dick having to save him. While the individual Robins have their own enemies, Two-Face is easily the archenemy of the collective Robin identity.
** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman, who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three (apart from Bane [[spoiler:murdering Alfred Pennyworth, the man who raised Bruce after his parents' death]]), [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Morgan has the evil sorcerer Deimos.

** Aquaman's Arch Enemy spot is shared between [[CainAndAbel his brother]] Orm, aka Ocean Master, and Black Manta. Depending on continuity the reasons behind Arthur and Orm's rivalry differs. But it usually revolves around the two brothers fighting over who is more fit to lead Atlantis. With Black Manta, their relationship is just full of mutual hatred, especially since Manta has [[WouldHurtAChild killed Aquaman's baby son]] and [[YouKilledMyFather father]], and Aquaman has indirectly caused the death of Manta's father.

* In the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, ComicBook/LexLuthor is still ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s primary enemy, but {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} and [[OmnicidalManiac Brainiac]] [[EvilerThanThou surpass]] him whenever they show up.

** The Joker and Batman in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', its sequels, and ''Justice League''. Unlike the contemporary comics, where their battle is more or less [[ComicBookTime destined to go on forever]] (or at least until the next ContinuityReboot), the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse actually gets to show their rivalry from its early beginnings all the way to the inevitable, brutal final battle. The notion of an archenemy is also deconstructed; whereas Joker early on seems to hold Batman in high regard as a genuine WorthyOpponent, by the time of their final battle he openly admits to have grown utterly tired of their "game". Bruce himself also has no delusions about what kind of person Joker really was, and tells his successor as much decades after Joker's death.

** Blight to Terry [=McGinnis=] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. Blight is the supervillain alter ego of [[BigBad Derek Powers]], a CorruptCorporateExecutive who took over Wayne Enterprises and had Terry's father murdered, therefore motivating him to take up Bruce Wayne's mantle and [[CreateYourOwnHero become Powers' greatest enemy]].

** Slade to Robin.
** Brother Blood to Cyborg.
** Blackfire to Starfire.
** Trigon to Raven.
** Terra to Beast Boy (because she was his PsychoExGirlfriend).

** In UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|of Comic Books}} comics, Jay Garrick (Flash I) had the Thinker, who appeared more often than any other villain. The two would eventually become friends in old age, but by that point, Edward Clariss AKA The Rival, Jay's own Reverse-Flash, had been introduced. The ComicBook/InfiniteFrontier-era storyline ''ComicBook/JayGarrickTheFlash'' would introduce a new archenemy for him in Doctor Elemental, a MadScientist who is revealed to be [[spoiler:Professor Hughes, Jay's academic advisor [[CreateYourOwnHero responsible]] for giving him his powers]].
** Barry Allen (Flash II) has had a few. In UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, it was [[Characters/TheFlashRoguesGallery Gorilla Grodd]], who was the one exception in his roster of HarmlessVillain antagonists. In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, it was Eobard Thawne AKA the Reverse-Flash and his repeated attempts to outright steal his foe's life, and who eventually killed his wife. In UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}, after Barry's return, Geoff Johns had promoted Captain Cold to leader of the rogues -- in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} it was usually the original Mirror Master or an outside villain in this role -- and brought the Rogues back into prominence. Cold specifically considers Barry to be his Flash nemesis (he's fought all four of them, and in the Modern Age mostly Wally). Later on, it was cemented that Thawne was Barry's archnemesis because he killed Barry's mother and is the most dangerous of Barry's foes.

* ComicBook/HawkAndDove had Kestrel in UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}, and Condor and Swan in the ComicBook/New52.

*** Kal-L, UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|of Comic Books}} Superman, has Alexei Luthor, Lex's Eastern European Earth-2 counterpart.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman's is generally Cheetah or Circe, depending on who's writing. Ares gets in on the act too. He was, after all, her original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] arch enemy, and is the biggest bad in her rogues gallery. As of Flashpoint Hera may be stepping into the role.

** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman, who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three (apart from Bane [[spoiler:murdering Alfred Pennyworth, the man who raised Bruce after his parents' death]], [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.

** ComicBook/TwoFace: Batman sees him, with good cause, as [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] as [[EvilFormerFriend they were friends once]] before Harvey's disfigurement, a point that Two-Face enjoys rubbing in. Every single one of the Robins has also had a reason to put them high on their hit lists. He also beat [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] within an inch of his life on one of his first outings as Robin (handing him his first defeat in the process), orchestrated the murders of Jason Todd's parents, and in "A Lonely Place of Dying" nearly killed [[Comicbook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] in one of his earliest solo missions as Robin, with Dick having to save him. While the individual Robins have their own enemies, Two-Face is easily the archenemy of the collective Robin identity.
** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow, and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve a mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three, [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.